


our first one

by bubblez4u



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Valentine's Day, beca's a hopeless romantic, chloe's sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 03:21:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13673202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bubblez4u/pseuds/bubblez4u
Summary: It’s been 9 months since they returned from the USO tour. It’s been 9 months and 25 days since they officially started dating after Beca confronted Chloe about Chicago. It’s also been 9 months and 15 days since Beca moved to Los Angeles. Since they can’t spend Valentine’s Day together, Beca does everything she can to make this one special for Chloe.





	our first one

**Author's Note:**

> universal needs to quit being a lil bitch and release the kiss. also just pretend that the timeline makes sense, k?  
> happy heart day pitches

Chloe groans when her phone goes off. She pops one eye open and reaches for her nightstand, lazily feeling around for the device. She grabs it and picks up the call as she stuffs the phone in between her ear and her pillow before shutting her eyes again.

“Hey,” Beca’s smooth voice comes through the speaker.

“Don’t wake me up, I’m dreaming about you,” Chloe mumbles into her phone. She readjusts her pillow and bunches the blankets even deeper into her side.

Beca chuckles and Chloe’s heart aches.

She misses her so much.

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Chloe wills her eyes open and slowly sits up. Her back rests on the headboard and her knees are bent so that she can prop her chin on them.

“Not really a happy one,” Chloe says as she picks at the loose threads on her sheets.

Long distance sucks.

“Chloe, come on. Don’t be like that,” Beca sighs.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry, it’s just that the one Valentine’s we should be together we’re on opposite sides of the country.”

Beca’s silent.

“I wish you were here,” Chloe whispers because it’s the only thing she can say.

“I-“ Beca doesn’t get to finish.

Chloe hears an annoying British accent on the other end of the line. Theo has interrupted their conversations enough times that Chloe didn’t even have to ask who Beca was talking to anymore. Beca murmurs something under her breath and Chloe can hear the two having an exchange. She knows what’s coming next.

“Chlo, I have to-”

“Get back to your fancy Hollywood life? I get it. Go,” Chloe means it.

“I’m really sorry,” Beca offers.

“Me too,” Chloe replies, a tight-lipped smile playing on her lips.

“Love you.” Beca means it.

“Love you too.”

 

The call ends and Chloe begrudgingly rolls out of bed.

She’s got one hand on her hip and another pushing her toothbrush around her mouth when she hears her phone vibrate.

She stops brushing her teeth and bites down on her toothbrush as she trots back to her nightstand to check her phone.

Chloe opens up her texts and her eyes light up when she sees a message from her girlfriend.

 

_From Beca:_

_What do you call a small valentine? A valen-tiny._

 

The text is accompanied by a full body picture of Beca sitting on a booster cushion in front of the controls of a recording studio, a scowl firmly on her face.

Chloe knows what she’s doing. She’s trying to make up for the fact that they can’t be together. It’s not the same, but it still brings a smile to her face, her toothbrush sticking out of the side of her mouth.

Her breath is minty fresh when she hears Amy come bustling through the front door of the apartment. She looks up to see her friend carrying a wheel in one hand and her Fat Amy Winehouse wig in the other. She shoves everything onto her own bed before taking a deep breath.

“The public is so demanding nowadays! Don’t take a bite out of my hamburger, don’t talk to my son about herpes, it’s so hard to please everyone!” Amy finishes as she puts her hands on her hips and turns to face Chloe.

She tilts her head when Chloe doesn’t respond. The redhead is perched on the edge of her bed, staring at the ground. It’s not very Chloe-esque of her.

Amy trots over to where she’s sitting and joins her.

“What’s got you down, Red? Did you finally realize that you’re stuck as a ginger for the rest of your life?” Amy asks as she lightly takes some of Chloe’s hair between her fingers.

“No,” Chloe broods as she pushes Amy’s hand away.

Amy knows, but she treads lightly.

“Oh, I almost forgot! I have something for you,” Amy turns so that she’s looking over her shoulder and goes to reach behind her back when, at the last second, she abruptly launches her body at Chloe instead.

“Amy, what-” Chloe struggles to escape Amy’s grip. They’re both laying sideways on Chloe’s bed in a bear hug.

“Shhh, this is from Beca,” Amy whispers as she strokes Chloe’s hair.

She doesn’t know why, but it makes her throat constrict.

“Really?” Chloe asks.

“Yeah!” Amy says like she’s offended Chloe didn’t believe her.

Chloe shuts her eyes and swallows hard. If she focuses hard enough it’s like she can hear Beca’s voice in her mind.

It’s telling her to shut up and enjoy the hug.

So Chloe listens.

 

Amy eventually releases Chloe from her grip so, naturally, Chloe had made her way to the kitchen to finish off a bowl of Lucky Charms when she hears Amy’s voice from the front door.

“I’m heading out, Chloe. Try not to drown in your own tears while I’m gone!”

Chloe rolls her eyes as she hears the door slam shut.

She plays with the marshmallows in her cereal for a little longer until she decides she’s not particularly hungry anymore. She lowers the bowl into the sink and washes her hands under the faucet. She wipes her hands on her pants and walks back to her bed. She feels extremely unproductive and there’s a season of Shameless waiting for her on the Netflix queue.

She's about to faceplant on her bed, but there's a red gift bag by her pillow preventing her from fulfilling her lazy day desires.

There’s a label on the bag and Chloe has to pull it closer to make out what turns out to be Amy’s short handwriting.

**This is from Beca, too.**

Chloe shakes her head because one thing’s for sure, she can always count on Amy for a good laugh.

Inside the bag there are three small envelopes, each one titled and decorated with little scrapbooking stickers. Chloe can tell that Beca just slapped on whatever she could find on sale. She appreciates the effort though because Beca honestly stinks at crafts.

 

_For when you miss me._

_For when you get mad at me._

_For when you want me._

 

The last envelope peaks her curiosity. She slips her thumb under the flap of the envelope and lifts it up. She bends it inward and shakes its contents onto the floor.

Five separate Polaroids fall out. Each one marked with a handwritten date and each one with a picture of Beca that stirs something inside of Chloe.

She tugs at her bottom lip with her teeth when she takes a closer look at them.

In the first one, Beca’s sprawled out on a couch looking off to the side, her fingers on her lips. She’s wearing nothing but lingerie that hardly covers her chest and gray, thinly checkered trousers. She knows the outfit. It’s part of the Balmain suit Beca wore to the Grammy’s as DJ Khaled’s guest. Beca had told her that it was a surprise when she asked to see it beforehand. She remembers watching the pre-show coverage and choking on air when Beca stepped out of the limo. She remembers wanting to teleport onto the red carpet just to fuck the younger girl senseless.

Something registers deep in her lower abdomen as she moves the picture to the back of the stack in her hand.

Number two is one she’s never seen before. Beca’s in a hot tub with her back facing the camera, her head slightly tilted back, and her bikini top dangling from her right hand. The pose perfectly shows off the pink lotuses inked on her shoulder blade and the equalizer bars covering her mid-back. Her skin is glistening in the sunlight from the water and it’s like Chloe can trace every curve on her body.

The rest of the Polaroids end up on the floor as Chloe stalks off to the shower.

 

She’s specifically energized after her shower and figures she might as well not waste the entire day.

So Chloe gets dressed and heads out for the day.

She hates it.

She hates the stupid poster hanging in the window of a convenience store advertising a last minute sale on heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and Hallmark cards. She hates the tall man in a black suit who has his arm around a girl as they walk down the street, oblivious to the outside world. She hates how the universe seems to be rubbing salt in her wounds everywhere she turns.

But mostly, she hates that everything reminds her of Beca.

Beca who smells like lavender.

Beca who gives the best hugs.

Beca who isn’t here.

She goes to the library to get some studying done because she knows no self-respecting person would be there on this day and she needs a distraction.

She gets another text from Beca.

 

_From Beca:_

_Words can’t espresso how much you bean to me._

 

It comes with a dorky selfie of her holding a cup of coffee.

She turns her phone off.

Two hours later when her brain can’t hold any more information about gene silencing and vector delivery, she decides to pack up her textbooks and head to her favorite coffee shop before going home. Damn Beca for sending her that picture when she knows that Chloe’s trying to quit caffeine.

Chloe has been going to the same coffee shop ever since she moved to Brooklyn, sans her occasional Starbucks runs. She’s on a first name basis with the barista, Jessica (she may have called her Ashley the two weeks following her initial visit, but still), and she considers them friends.

“Hey, Jessica. Can I just get my usual?”

“Coming right up!” Jessica chirps. She turns to the machines to start making Chloe’s coffee.

“How’s school going?” She throws her head back over her shoulder, directing her question at the redhead.

“It’s going. I’m hoping to get an internship with the Animal Hospital on 5th this semester so fingers crossed,” Chloe says as she fishes around her wallet for some cash and places it on the counter.

“That’s so cool! I’m sure you’ll get it,” Jessica finishes putting the lid on Chloe’s drink. Chloe reaches out, waiting for Jessica to give her the cup, but, instead, Jessica takes the drink and ducks behind the counter. She pops back up a few seconds later with a rectangular shaped box, Chloe’s coffee resting neatly atop it.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Jessica smiles.

Chloe wants to die.

 

She carries the box and her coffee back to the apartment. It ends up being a balancing act, but she makes it in one piece. She sits at the foot of her bed and sets the box down in front of her, her coffee to her right.

Before she knows it she’s ripping open the flaps of the cardboard box and ruffling through the packing peanuts.

It’s a framed print of a black soundwave.

Her phone vibrates.

Another text.

She should’ve known.

 

_From Beca:_

_https://www.apple.com/itunes/app/_

 

Chloe cranes her neck around the corner just to be sure there isn’t a camera following her because Beca’s timing is starting to freak her out.

It’s a link to the app store. Chloe downloads the app that the page opens to and follows the instruction on the screen. She’s meant to hold up her camera toward the canvas and wait for the app to scan it.

Easy enough.

It takes a few tries and Chloe almost chucks her phone across the room when the error message pops up for the third time, but she gets it to work.

Music flows through her phone’s speaker.

All it takes is three seconds into the song for Chloe to recognize it.

She smiles softly as Titanium continues to play.

What she doesn’t expect is to hear Beca’s voice where Sia’s would have been. What makes her jaw drop to the floor is when she hears her own voice layer over Beca’s halfway through the first verse.

It’s the exact harmony they had sung when she had convinced Beca to join the Bellas.

She remembers Beca asking if she could record her vocals for a new mix she was working on and Chloe was obviously ecstatic that the younger girl had asked for her help.

That was over a year ago. Before they had started dating.

Her smile fades.

She shouldn’t be upset.

She should be swooning.

She should be smiling so hard that it hurts because _fuck_ , she has a girlfriend that cares this much about her.

But she’s not.

The awareness of how lost she feels without livid blue eyes there to keep her anchored crashes into her all at once.

And her eyes are burning. Her vision is hazy from the hot tears and she’s exhausted. She’s exhausted from being away from her person. She’s exhausted from telling herself that she can go another two years before moving to Los Angeles. She’s exhausted from pretending that it doesn’t hurt.

But she knows Beca’s trying. She knows how long Beca has dreamt of being in the exact position she’s in right now. She also knows that Beca would walk away from all of it if that’s what Chloe wanted. She knows that it’ll be worth it. When Chloe’s finally a vet and Beca’s finally making music, it’ll all have been worth it.

 

Amy tells her she’s leaving for the night.

She says that Chloe is more than welcome to join her and Bumper on their date, but Chloe politely declines.

Chloe checks the time and snatches her phone when the clock strikes 10 pm. She starts the Facetime call and waits for Beca to answer.

She lets out a breath she doesn’t know she’s holding when the video comes through.

Beca’s got her earbuds in and the image is shaky because she’s walking somewhere, probably to dinner. Chloe can’t say for sure, but by the small glimpses she gets of Beca’s body, she thinks the younger girl is sporting a plain black shirt. She’s wearing little to no make-up giving her a natural glow. Her hair is tucked behind one ear and Chloe can see the remnants of the sun setting in the evening sky behind her.

God, she’s beautiful.

“Thank you.”

Chloe skips the greetings.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Beca plays it coy. Chloe can see the smirk.

“You didn’t have to,” Chloe lies right through her teeth.

“Yeah, I did. I needed you to know how much I want this. I hate it as much as you do, but I’m going to try to make up for it. For everything, alright?”

Chloe nods. There’s a lump in her throat and she doesn’t trust herself to speak.

“I have to go, but I’ve got one last surprise for you,” Beca looks down at the watch on her wrist, “It’s waiting for you by the front door.”

Chloe wants to scream that she needs Beca to stay on the phone with her for just a few more minutes. She wants to tell her that she doesn't care about DJ Khlaed or Theo or anyone else. That she just wants Beca to come back to New York.

To come home.

But she can't do that so she lets her go.

Beca waves and they say goodbye.

The screen goes black.

It’s something straight out of a bad romantic comedy. Chloe’s heart is pounding against the inside of her chest, desperate to get out. She doesn’t know how the younger girl could top everything else she’s already done today. Suddenly her mind goes to places it should not. She knows that she Facetimed her girlfriend not even two minutes ago and saw her navigating the streets of LA with her own eyes, but she can’t help it.

She wants Beca to be standing there.

She wants to rip the door open and throw herself into Beca’s embrace.

She wants the slow-motion meeting of their eyes and the last minute plane ticket from LAX to JFK.

She wants all of it.

Her eyes are glistening and her smile is threatening to split her face in half. She runs to the front door and turns the doorknob.

Her breath hitches.

Her smile falters and her heart drops.

A bouquet of red roses sitting on the doormat.

She picks them up and treads back inside. She slumps down onto her bed and lets the tears fall down her cheeks. She twirls the flowers in her hands but stops when she spots a white rose in the middle of the arrangement. She plucks it from its place. There’s a note wrapped around the stem. She carefully places the flowers on her mattress leaving the single white rose and a small piece of paper in her hands. She unfolds it and smooths it out with her thumbs.

 

_I will love you until the last one dies._

_-B_

 

Chloe’s eyes flutter to the flower in her hand.

It’s made out of plastic.

It’s not Beca flying across the country to surprise her, but it’s enough for now.


End file.
